Season 3, Episode 9: Makers on Main Street with Deb Jasien [Podcast]

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Welcome to Season 3, Episode 9 of the Indie Business Podcast! In this ninth episode of my Makers on Main Street series, you’ll meet Deb Jasien of Fields of Ambrosia in North Conway, New Hampshire. Deb, a former theatrical set designer, has owned her business since 2001, and her store in 2007. Deb also wholesales…

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8 Ways to Simplify Your Handmade Business

Handmade entrepreneurship requires massive amounts of time and energy, but simplifying things will help you conserve some of that precious time and energy. It will also help you simplify your life … always a good thing, right? Traditional entrepreneurship has usually meant that you sell the products, but you do not physically make them. When…

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Why I Am Not Frustrated So Much Anymore

Iwonder if the title of this post reveals my age. After all, it takes many years of allowing yourself to become frustrated before you just stop it. That’s where I am at this point in my life. After nearly 16 years in business, and a few gray hairs (thanks mostly to my offspring), I rarely…

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How to Get Your Confidence Back After You Lose It

No matter how many years you are in business, you will experience a crisis of confidence from time to time. Whether it’s negative feedback on social media, a snide remark at a show, or honest (but brutal) critique from a prospective wholesale buyer, things will happen that will cause you to second guess your ability…

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Blog Your Brand 30-Day Challenge: We’re Halfway There!

The 30-Day Blog Your Brand Challenge was a huge success, and dozens of Indie Business Network members won a complimentary year of IBN membership after they blogged consistently for thirty straight days. At the conclusion of the Challenge, I opened the doors to the Blog Your Brand Facebook Group to the public. Click here to…

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Season 3, Episode 8: Makers on Main Street with Roberta Perry [Podcast]

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Welcome to Season 3, Episode 8 of the Indie Business Podcast! In this eighth episode of my Makers on Main Street series, you’ll meet Roberta Perry of Scrubz Natural Skincare in Farmingdale, New York. (NOTE: This written article has been updated to reflect the relocation of the retail store to a new city. The audio…

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How to Build Your Own Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

Entrepreneurship is messy, but it would be a lot more messy for me if I did not intentionally operate my business in the midst of an entrepreneurial ecosystem that allows it (and me) to thrive. From very early in my business, I predicted that my personal life situation would not always be a bed of…

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Meet me at Connection Day 2015: Portland

I will host Connection Day 2015: Portland, on October 11-12, 2015, with hotel check-in and Indie Yappy Hour the evening before! (I’ll be hosting Connection Day New York City in September, so I could not leave out my members over on the other side of the country now could I?) Sponsored by one of IBN’s…

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How to Cultivate Your Personal Entrepreneurial Style

While most entrepreneurs invest considerable resources to acquire the knowledge-based and functional skills needed to grow a business, not all entrepreneurs put as much effort into cultivating a personal entrepreneurial style to complement their business as it grows. As a business leader, you owe it to yourself and your business to cultivate a personal entrepreneurial…

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Rule No. 1: Authenticity Matters

It’s never a good idea to be someone you are not. It’s an even worse idea to be someone you are not in the age of the Internet. Authenticity has always mattered. It matters now, more than ever. Over the last several days, I have watched in stunned awe as former NAACP leader Rachel Dolezal…

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7 Characteristics of a High Value Business Collaboration

Each week, I receive dozens of invitations to collaborate in new business ventures of one kind or another. I decline nearly all of them because I do not want to spread myself too thin. When I do enter into a collaborative relationship with another entrepreneur, I generally do so because the collaboration has very specific…

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7 Reasons You Might Be Losing Customers (and what to do about it)

This article is about doing specific things to ensure that you are not losing customers on a consistent basis. Obviously, you can’t afford to continually lose customers if you want your business to be solid and sustainable over the long haul. If you are losing customers (and therefore money), it is often for one of…

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#MakerBizChat No. 10: How to Start a Membership Site

On Wednesday evenings from 8 to 8:30pm ET, I host #MakerBizChat, an Instagram event to help Makers and Handmade Entrepreneurs build a solid business foundation, increase your income, and use your business to create the life you love. Our topic last night was How to Build a Membership-Based Business. While most people use the terms…

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Our June 2015 Access Q+A Coaching Call is Today!

Every month, I and IBN’s Head Coach, Christine Laureano, host a private member call designed to give members an opportunity to get the answers to their most pressing business questions NOW! Today is that day for this month. This is the very BEST day of the month for me because it’s a chance to make…

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